You feel that chill in the air this week?
Yeah, it’s football season.
You hear that band pumping tunes in a stadium or parking lot as you drove past?
Yeah, it’s football season.
You see those signs in neighbors yards celebrating their kid being on the team?
Yeah, it’s football season.
The professionals don’t get things started for another two weeks and most college teams don’t play their openers until next weekend, so the next few days are all about the high schools.
High school football is back, ladies and gentlemen. There’s nothing like it. If you’re able to, get yourself to a game this weekend.
Here are 10 things I’m looking forward to watching this season …
• NA three-peat? Since the PIAA went to six classes in 2016, no team in the largest class has won three consecutive WPIAL titles. North Allegheny will try to change that this fall. The Tigers aren’t the preseason favorite, but they also weren’t the past two seasons when they won back-to-back Class 6A crowns. Coach Art Walker is one of the best in the business. Will his Tigers be able to outlast a field that includes the team they beat in the past two finals (Central Catholic)?
• Patrick’s debut. New coaches can be found throughout the area, but none will have a bigger spotlight on them than Vashawn Patrick, who takes over an Aliquippa program that has won three consecutive WPIAL Class 4A titles and is the reigning PIAA champion. As an Aliquippa alum, a former standout player at the school and an assistant on the girl’s basketball and track teams, “V Pat” is a Quip through and through. Chances are the Quips won’t skip a beat.
• Talented Tikey. By season’s end, Aliquippa senior running back Tikey Hayes has an excellent shot of climbing to No. 2 on the WPIAL’s all-time rushing list … and getting to that top spot, while a longshot, isn’t entirely out of the question, either. Hayes, a Penn State recruit, has already rushed for a school-record 5,886 yards, which is good for 10th in WPIAL history. Fort Cherry’s Mike Vernillo is second on the list (7,646) and Hopewell’s Rushel Shell first (9,078).
• House rules? “There’s a house, up on the hill, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go.” City League power Westinghouse fell to District 4 juggernaut Southern Columbia in the PIAA Class 2A final each of the past two seasons (21-20 last season). Will this be the season the Bulldogs break through and win their first title? You’ve got to like their chances. Senior quarterback Khalil Green and junior safety Kyshawn Robinson are among the stars back for the Bulldogs, who are now in Class 1A.
• Sieg’s jig. A year after putting up monster numbers as a sophomore, Fort Cherry junior quarterback-safety Matt Sieg hopes to produce more of the same while potentially leading the Rangers to a second WPIAL Class 1A title in a row and first-ever PIAA title. Sieg, who is regarded as one of the top 200 juniors in the country and has an offer list that stretches from Pitt to Southern Cal, accounted for more than 4,000 yards and 63 total touchdowns a season ago.
• Arm’s race. Of the 11 WPIAL players who passed for at least 2,000 yards in 2023, six are back this season. In fact, six of the top nine passers return. They include Peters Township junior Nolan DiLucia (3,131 yards) and Western Beaver sophomore Jaivin Peel (2,898 yards), who finished first and third, respectively. Also returning are Serra Catholic’s Quadir Stribling, Norwin’s Tristyn Tavares, Bishop Canevin’s Kole Olszewski and Mars’ Luke Goodworth.
• Super sophomores. The WPIAL is loaded with top-end skill talent in the sophomore class, and it will be fun to see what some of these guys have in store this season. McKeesport’s Kemon Spell is ranked by one recruiting service as the No. 1 running back in the country in the 2027 class. Other stars include Seton LaSalle’s Khalil Taylor, Imani Christian’s Gabe Jenkins, Central Valley’s Jance Henry, Aliquippa’s Larry Moon and West Mifflin’s Armand Hill, who ran for 495 yards in a game last fall.
• Moving on up. Belle Vernon is the only WPIAL team to enter the season as two-time defending PIAA champion. But if the Leopards are to three-peat, they will have to do it in a new class. Belle Vernon was bumped up to Class 4A after winning consecutive Class 3A titles. The Leopards are no stranger to 4A and some of the teams they will play, though, as they had been one of the top teams in 4A before dropping to 3A in 2022. A bigger question might be how will the Leopards make up for the loss of Quinton Martin?
• Hey, I know that name! It’s neat seeing sons of former NFL players begin to make their own mark. As usual, North Allegheny has a few of them. Lincoln Hoke (son of Chris) is a star junior lineman, and Henry Harrison (son of James) is a freshman. Moon boasts junior wide receiver-cornerback Jayden Revis (son of Darrelle). Keeping up with the family theme, Central Catholic senior cornerback Xxavier Thomas has a brother playing in the NFL right now (Rodney Thomas).
• Special seasons. Which schools will take their communities on memorable rides this fall? Perennial powers stacking up titles are cool and all, but seeing a team reach heights either not achieved in some time or never at all is really something special. Could this be Latrobe’s year? The Wildcats won their only WPIAL title in 1968 when they took down Kiski Area at Forbes Field. Or how about Imani Christian, which has never reached the final but is stacked with stars? Stay tuned.
Editor Rick Davis
Reporters Brad Everett, Steve Rotstein, John Santa, Rob Joesbury
Photographer Emily Matthews
Art designer Jennifer Kundrach
Web designer Tyler Pecyna
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.